More Than Four Wives

Lashes for Saudi religious policeman with six wives

Wed Feb 17, 2010 4:09pm IST

RIYADH (Reuters) – A Saudi court has sentenced an employee of the kingdom’s religious police to 120 lashes for marrying six women.

The man said he was not educated enough to know that Islam does not allow men to marry more than four women at any one time, said an official at Ahad al-Massarha court in the southern province of Jazan.

“The judge did not believe him. Nobody believed him. I honestly did not,” the official told Reuters.

The court banned the man from standing as a preacher and leading prayers, ordered him not to travel abroad for a five-year period and to memorise two chapters from the Koran. …

Islam allows polygamy for men on condition the wives are treated fairly.

In Halachah, the four wife limit is merely advisory, but not mandatory (in times / places where the חרם דרבינו גרשום and similar enactments, customs and personal commitments do not apply):